The proximity of hotspots to convergent and divergent plate boundaries
An analysis of four different hotspot distributions, ranging from Morgan's (1972) original list of 19 to Vogt's (1981) list of 117 reveals that the hotspots are preferentially located near divergent plate boundaries. The probability of this proximity occurring by chance alone is quite remo...
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Published in | Geophysical research letters Vol. 16; no. 5; pp. 433 - 436 |
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Main Authors | , |
Format | Journal Article |
Language | English |
Published |
Legacy CDMS
Blackwell Publishing Ltd
01.05.1989
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Subjects | |
Online Access | Get full text |
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Summary: | An analysis of four different hotspot distributions, ranging from Morgan's (1972) original list of 19 to Vogt's (1981) list of 117 reveals that the hotspots are preferentially located near divergent plate boundaries. The probability of this proximity occurring by chance alone is quite remote, less than 0.01 for all four hotspot distributions. The same analysis also reveals that the hotspots are preferentially excluded from regions near convergent plate boundaries. The probability of this exclusion occurring by chance alone is 0.1 or less for three out of the four distributions examined. We interpret this behavior as being a consequence of the effects of large scale convective circulation on ascending mantle plumes. Mantle thermal plumes, the most probable source of hotspots, arise from instabilities in a basal thermal boundary layer. Plumes are suppressed from regions beneath convergent boundaries by descending flow and are entrained into the upwelling flow beneath spreading centers. Plate-scale convective circulation driven by subduction may also advect mantle thermal plumes toward spreading centers. |
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Bibliography: | ArticleID:89GL00580 ark:/67375/WNG-FS6QQ67M-D istex:935217C6EB090218B2F27059B55E9FC63329D271 CDMS Legacy CDMS ObjectType-Article-1 SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1 ObjectType-Feature-2 content type line 23 ObjectType-Article-2 ObjectType-Feature-1 |
ISSN: | 0094-8276 1944-8007 |
DOI: | 10.1029/GL016i005p00433 |